


turtleduck

by buries



Series: [challenge] fandomweekly fills [10]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Community: fandomweekly, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Missing Scene, Post-Canon, Self Confidence Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buries/pseuds/buries
Summary: Iroh reminds Zuko that he's more than capable of being Fire Lord.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: [challenge] fandomweekly fills [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909810
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36
Collections: FandomWeekly (2019-2020) Writing Challenge on Dreamwidth





	turtleduck

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for fandomweekly's #68 masks and encouragement to write more than 800 words. this came third place in the challenge.
> 
> this is set post-canon. i wanted to try and write iroh and zuko since they are one of my favourite dynamics on the show.
> 
> this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. thanks for reading! ♥

Breaking off a small piece of bread, Zuko gently tosses it into the turtleduck pond. It's warm outside; it's comfortable, like his mother's hugs. He immediately finds comfort in its embrace, and in the company of his uncle. He'd come from the palace in a sweep of his long red robes and with a hot cup of tea in his hands, his temper blazing. Now, it merely simmers. 

"I can't do it anymore, Uncle," he sighs. Sitting closely beside his uncle, he passes him his warm cup of tea carefully. It's the one thing he's done correctly all week.

Iroh lifts the cup to his nose and inhales the sweet scent of tea like he's never smelt it before. "Do what, Zuko?" 

"Be Fire Lord!" His voice booms and scares one of the turtleducks to the other edge of the pond. Zuko glances at the turtleduck sympathetically. Quietly, he whispers hotly, "I keep screwing it up!"

Sipping his tea, Iroh's posture relaxes. He watches Zuko as Zuko watches the turtleducks. "You're screwing nothing up, Zuko."

"How can you say that?" Zuko looks at him, his eyes wide and his hands feeling hot. He pulls the crown from his hair and brushes his fingers through it roughly to release it from its neat bun. Black strands fall into his eyes and guard his scar. "You've seen the General disregard every one of my ideas!"

"Hm," Iroh muses, sipping his tea loudly. Smacking his lips, he sighs happily and places the tea on the grass. "And yet, he carries out every one of your orders. Interesting, isn't it?"

"It isn't interesting. It's humiliating!"

Iroh shakes his head and chuckles quietly to himself. He lifts his cup of tea again and blows on it once more, peering at Zuko over the rim. "You put too much pressure on yourself, Zuko."

Zuko doesn't hear him.

Shaking his head, hair falls into his eyes. Peering down at the thick dirt, he can still see the cracks from when the ground had been dried out by fire. Azula had once stood here and stomped on it, cracking it beneath her mighty foot. Under Zuko's, it's only healed.

"They'd respect Azula," he murmurs. "Everyone listened to Azula."

Iroh lowers the cup of tea and shakes his head. "She ruled with an iron fist, just like your father. You cannot nurture fire from an ember with hate and cruelty."

Zuko shakes his head and scoffs. "I can't nurture a fire anyway, Uncle."

"Are you sure?" Iroh pins him in place with a hot stare. It burns his skin and makes the hair prickle on his arms. "The Fire Nation just brokered peace with the Earth Kingdom. Your good friend Toph helped."

"They like Toph. She's likeable." 

Iroh turns where he sits, now facing Zuko as if he's the turtleduck pond. Blushing hotly beneath his uncle's prying gaze, he keeps his eyes straight ahead and smiles as he watches two turtleducks splash each other.

Iroh ducks his head in an attempt to catch his gaze. He's unsuccessful. "And you're not?"

"No."

Iroh chuckles. "Oh, Zuko. You are funny, my nephew. And also blind. You see the world through smog." When he peers at his uncle, it's his uncle's turn to watch the turtleducks glide happily along the surface of the warm water. 

Smiling brightly, Iroh places his cup of tea gently on the ground once more.

"The Fire Nation beneath your hand has been nurtured," he says, lifting his hand palm up to the sky. Tendrils of smoke appear from his fingertips and glide across his skin, with embers sparking and a flame erupting from his lifelines. 

"You're not Azula, no," he says, shaking his head. He _tsks_ beneath his breath. "You are Zuko and my nephew. You have grown and changed and you've survived, my dear boy. And that is something your sister will never have. She never changed direction; she always blazed one way until she came upon herself again and couldn't burn any longer."

Zuko watches the flames on Iroh's palm dance. One lone flame is joined by another, and he watches as they put each other out. A third spark erupts, brighter and hotter than the two, and it remains strong in his uncle's palm despite the fact he blows on it.

"You should be more like a turtleduck."

Zuko laughs incredulously. "Huh?"

"Minding your own business... Swimming..." Iroh lowers his hand and takes his cup of tea once more. He grins at Zuko from over his lifted cup. "They adapt and grow, just like you."

"And they peck at me and make me bleed, Uncle," he says, laughing lightly.

Iroh only chuckles, sipping his tea.

Fiddling with his robes, Zuko glances down at the vibrant red and quietly asks, "You really think I can do this? Be Fire Lord?"

"Of course!" Iroh's voice is loud, rivalling that of Toph's earth-breaking stomp. He reaches out to palm Zuko's thigh tightly, palm burning with conviction. His gaze pierces through his skin. "You are the best parts of me and Ursa. Only the best parts." Tears are in his eyes and his voice wobbles as he says, "You are not as burnt as you think you are, my son."

Zuko's vision blurs as he glances at his uncle and looks away. He lifts his hand to brush away a stray tear.

"It'll come to you in due time, Zuko," Iroh says. He leans over and pats Zuko's head, no doubt trying to tame the strands that remain untameable. He can tame fire, but he can't tame wild hair. "You are not screwing anything up. You made my tea very nicely today."

Zuko smiles proudly, cheeks tinging pink. "I always make you good tea."

Smiling conspiratorially, Iroh peers back at the turtleducks. "Hm... It burnt my tongue yesterday. I didn't want to tell you. You were very happy."

"I'm never happy."

Iroh's laughter bursts from him hotly. Zuko's laugh burns just as loudly.


End file.
